How you train is how you will perform for real is a truism for law enforcement, soldiers and martial artists. Some martial artists adamantly object to this, saying that they would never react in a high-stress situation in such a way as the their technique degrades due to the adrenaline dump. To them I say simply, “Sorry, but your opinion is wrong. There is too much evidence to the contrary, and if you don’t change your ways, you could be dead wrong.”

Here are a few ways that some martial artists train that could come back to bite them on the behind:

Train to miss: Punches and kicks are pulled three or four inches from their opponent.

Has never been hit: Because students are taught to pull their techniques several inches short, they are not conditioned physically or psychologically to take a hit.

Take one, give one: Never been trained to take a hit and respond immediately by hitting back.

Train to pass by or pass over the target: High kicks are thrown so they pass over the opponent’s head.

Ingrained ritual: Every drill or sparring exercise is preceded with a salute (sometime elaborate), a nod, a grunt or an “ooos,” and a pronounced step into a fighting stance.

Excessive politeness: Accidental contact is followed by a partial salute and an apology.

Acknowledgement of getting hit: A poorly controlled punch or kick hits and the recipient grabs the spot and calls time out.

Acknowledgement of hitting: A punch or kick scores and the hitter raises his fist in triumph, turns his back, and walks back to his starting position.

Over recognition of an error: An error in a drill receives a curse, a foot stomp, a shake of the head, or some other overt sign.

Stop on an error: When a defense move misses or a takedown technique is done poorly, the action stops and everyone starts over.

Stop in range: A technique is stopped for whatever reason and the attacker stays in range without doing anything.

Stop after one hit scores: The attacker slams one in then stops, backs away, and basks in his glory.

False confidence: Believes his weak hits that earned points in a tournament would stop an attacker.

Too many Hong Kong movies: Attacker does an excess of flippy-dippy kicks, somersaults, and tornado kicks.

Dropping hands within range: Being in range with guard down and not attacking.

Over reliance on safety equipment: Relying on the protective helmet to the extent that the head isn’t covered well. Relying on padded hands and feet too much.

Telegraphing: Excessive wind up before punching.

Never hitting low: Low blows are not allowed because they are illegal in sport.

Targets ignored: Grapplers struggle for a hold while the opponent’s eyes, throat and groin are open and vulnerable.

Opponent can’t punch or kick: Grapplers defend against other grapplers who are not trained in how to throw quality kicks and punches.

Focus on one technique: Over relies on his favorite technique, no matter how many times it gets blocked, misses, or fails to have an effect.

Hands the weapon back: Defender disarms a knife, stick, or gun and then hands the weapon back to the attacker.

Doesn’t consider other attackers: Takes opponent down and then fails to look around for other attackers.

Doesn’t get up strategically: When moving from the ground to a standing position, he doesn’t do so in a way that he could instantly defend himself.

Practices only in the air: Punches and kicks are only thrown in the air and never on a bag. He has no idea what they feel like impacting something solid.

Always trains at the same intensity: Never pushes for greater speed, greater power, and greater explosiveness.

Never trains with mental intensity: Just goes through the motions as if they were half-hearted aerobics.

Doesn’t “see” the opponent: Practices in the air, on bags, and on the makiwara without visualizing an opponent.

Never trained all-out: Never pushes training intensity into the anaerobic zone, that place where most fights occur.

There are over 33,000 videos of a wrist grabdefense on YouTube. That only tells me there are over 33,000 self-defense instructors who don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground. Who’s attacking peopleRead more

The 911 Mindset: Making Victims of Us All We had just about finished another of our women’s self-protection seminars and I began thinking as we approached the end of the seminar, “Wow, nobody even askedRead more

The man grabbing his 6 month old granddaughter from the ground after his wife was run down by a man who had just repeatedly smashed into them after cutting one person’s throat and stabbing anotherRead more